


A Failed Homecoming

by Smidget



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: AU, Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe, Kidnapping, Ransom, Spider-Man: Homecoming Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2020-07-08 16:48:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19872853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smidget/pseuds/Smidget
Summary: An alternate ending to Spider-Man: Homecoming. The conversation with Vulture in the car being what it was, what would have happened if he decided to take the information he had and find a different way to deal with Peter, and still get his money in the process?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I just had this thought in the shower after watching Homecoming again the other day in preparation for further work on my Spidey fic. I don't know if anyone else has thought this yet, but I felt it needed to be done. 
> 
> This was supposed to be a oneshot, but it was starting to get pretty long, so I decided I'd split it up between two or three chapters to make it an easier read. I doubt it'll get much longer than that. And since this was a separate short story, I decided to go ahead and post it because it wouldn't mesh with the upload schedule for long anyway.
> 
> Anyway, I won't dredge on too much. Hope you guys enjoy, and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading! <3

Peter Parker was having a very bad day. 

Well, was it even day, anymore? It was hard to tell. He knew, when he left the dance, it had been around nine pm, but he also didn’t know how long he’d been knocked out after. It could be the wee hours of the next morning now. 

Because of course he’d been knocked out after. 

His homecoming date’s Dad had turned out to be the big bad guy he’d been fighting for the past few weeks - surprise surprise. He supposed he should have known. Now that he was a hero, all the bad things were going to come his way, including the worst of the bad things - bad luck. 

Based on the conversation in the car, he could tell the man was suspicious. At the mention of Peter’s internship with Tony, and the fact that Peter knew Spider-Man, he almost thought he was going to stop the car right there and say screw the facade for a chance to get at him. 

But he didn’t. He kept driving, and he stopped and let them out at the school, smiling and kissing his daughter on the cheek as she went in, his eyes on Peter the whole time. 

Then came the confrontation. He had a choice, and he knew it. He could let himself be intimidated, and he could decide not to go after him. This route would have been all the easier based on the fact that he didn’t even have a decent suit to fight him in. All he had was a homemade one, and Lord knew how much web fluid was even left in it, since he hadn’t worn it in months. And yet… could he live with himself if he didn’t?

Deciding the answer was no, he went to the dance long enough to do what he needed to, then retrieved the suit from its hiding place and headed out.

...and got knocked out as soon as he walked out the back door. 

When he came to, it was dark, and he didn’t see anyone around him. That was odd; his night vision had never failed him before. Where was Liz’s dad? Was that who had knocked him out? If not, who else would have done it? Where was he?

Now, he had no idea where he was. He had no idea what time it was. He knew, when he woke up, that his mask was gone, and that he was tied up, because he could feel it. Well, actually, he  _ couldn’t  _ feel much of anything, but he also couldn’t move, which was enough in and of itself to tell him what he needed to know. He was oddly numb and tingly all over, and his head hurt and was feeling rather fuzzy. Funny, that never happened in the movies.

Okay. So, he’d screwed up big time... And it wasn’t looking like there was anything he could do about it. He couldn’t even make his fingers respond to him, let alone move his arm enough to shoot a web. He groaned a little, letting his head slump back against the wall. Great. So he was stuck here until either help came, or the vulture guy came back to finish him off.

What a fitting end to the day. Honestly, what a fitting end to this  _ week _ , which seemed like it had been from hell. What a fitting end to him. A helpless mess, just as he always truly had been. 

This was the only thought he could hold on to until he blacked out again.

~~~

Tony was feeling rather nostalgic.

He didn’t like it. 

It was an odd feeling. Once upon a time he’d told Pepper that he’d been called many things, and nostalgic was not one of them. And that was still true, in its essence, but he was certainly feeling it now. Leaving the old Avengers Headquarters behind was a big step, but it was the best one for what was coming next. He knew he was making the right choice, even if he was questioning it every step of the way.

Speaking of questionable decisions… He walked out to the balcony, leaning against the railing and staring out over the open sky. He felt bad about the way he’d treated the kid the other day. He may not have been right, and what he’d done in hacking the suit and directly disobeying him was wrong, even if it was genius. But Tony still felt bad for the way he’d treated him. He just still had a hard time fathoming exactly what Peter had been thinking. He knew where the thoughts had stemmed from, to an extent. He remembered a time not so long ago when he’d acted without all the information, sure his judgement was best and that the whole world was either against him or just didn’t know what he knew. He remembered the disastrous aftereffects of those decisions, too. 

But the look on his face when he’d told him he was taking the suit back… 

Tony shook the thoughts away. He was doing the right thing. Somebody had to look out for the kid, and clearly no one else was going to do it. Besides, he meant what he said to him about not wanting anything happening to him on his conscience. And if he kept throwing himself into situations he didn’t have the experience to handle, he would get hurt eventually. 

Maybe he’d give the suit back after the kid had had some time to chew over what he’d done. Maybe, if he could prove he’d learned something from it. 

“Tony!” Happy burst through the door, breathing slightly hard. Pepper wasn’t far behind him. “Tony-”

“I know. It’s about time to go. I’m coming.” He sighed, straightening up and looking over the view one last time. 

“No, it’s not that.” Happy glanced back inside, where all the movers were still boxing and loading things, but no one was paying them any attention. “Listen, Peter just left town, and I… I think something is wrong.”

“Happy, you always think something is wrong.” But his senses were tingling, so he turned and gave him his full attention. A sinking feeling started to form in his gut. “But why this time?”

Happy handed him his phone, wordlessly. The tracker that they’d placed in Peter’s phone had pegged him at several places in the last handful of hours. His apartment, at a house in the city, then at his school for a handful of minutes, then showed him moving at several miles per hour heading for the state’s border. Happy’s phone would have pinged him a warning when he hit the border. And that was at least an hour drive, even at the ridiculous speed he’d been moving at. And now…

Happy watched him study the stats. “The boy can’t drive, Tony, and he’s certainly not swinging anywhere at that speed.”

“He’s not with his aunt?” Tony handed the phone back. He had a feeling… but he had to cover all his bases first. He didn’t want to assume that the kid had went and done something stupid, but…

“No. He was supposed to be at a dance at his school tonight. Based on this, he arrived there intact and left a whole fifteen minutes after showing up.” Happy pocketed the phone, looking at Tony. 

Tony looked down, rubbing his forehead. “You think I should go after him?” He didn’t really have time to, but he also couldn’t shake this uneasy feeling in his stomach that said he  _ needed  _ to.

“I think…” Happy started, then stopped. Both of their eyes dropped to where he’d just pocketed his phone. It had started ringing suddenly. And the ringtone…

Happy pulled out his phone. “It’s Peter.”

“Well answer it, then.” Tony crossed his arms, shifting his weight from foot to foot. It should be a good sign, and yet… that sinking feeling was still there.

“Hello?” Happy held the phone up to his ear, then frowned, pulling it away. His eyes widened when they alighted on the screen. Tony stepped up beside him. What he saw made his stomach lurch so hard that for a moment he thought he was going to empty the contents of his stomach right there. 

It was Peter, all right, but he clearly wasn’t the one who’d made the call. He didn’t really have the technology in his phone to make a hands-free call with no ability to use his hands or feet. Not to mention the fact that he was unconscious currently, head slumped as a deadweight against the wall behind him. He was wearing his rudimentary Spider-Man suit, but the mask was nowhere to be seen. 

Tony actually took a step back. The amount of blood covering the side of his face… head wounds bled something terrible, granted, but nobody should lose that amount of blood. It definitely wasn’t healthy. And that was just the injury he could see. “Is this live?” he demanded, grabbing the phone from Happy. 

“Why yes, it certainly is,” a voice that definitely wasn’t Happy’s answered him. “And I do believe that that is your favorite prodigal super kid. You really hurt his feelings, you know, cutting the internship with him. You almost ruined his relationship with his buddy Spider-Man, too.” 

“Cut the shit. Who is this? What do you want?” Tony had no idea about half of what he was talking about. They’d used an internship with him as a cover one time, but he hadn’t realized Peter had continued to use it. Was that why he’d quit so many things this year? As for the rest, he had no idea what the hell he was talking about. This guy clearly knew Peter was Spider-Man - he was unconscious ten feet away in the suit, for Christ’s sake - but that obviously wasn’t what he cared about, or he wouldn’t have called him. 

“Aw, isn’t that funny? You haven’t truly cared about someone in years, so of course you’ve never had to worry about a ransom demand before. Well, guess what. Surprise! Here it is. There’s a first time for everything, isn’t there?” the voice taunted.

A ransom. Because of the internship story, or because he’d guessed - accurately - that he actually had real history with the kid, and that he knew both sides of who he was? Tony gritted his teeth. “Coward. Hiding behind a camera, using a kid as bait. Why don’t you show me your face? Or better yet, come meet me and we can sort whatever this is out, man to man.” Anything to draw him away from the kid. He fisted his hands and stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep them from shaking. With fear or anger, he wasn’t entirely sure, but he was feeling a good bit of both right now. “I won’t even bring my suit. We can have a fair fight.” At least it would seem fair until he knocked this guy’s teeth down his throat bare handed. 

The man on the other side of the camera just laughed. “Oh, I know you won’t bring your suit, Iron Man. Otherwise you’ll be carrying his out as a memorial.” He could  _ hear  _ this bastard’s feral grin as he spoke. “Look, I didn’t want to hurt him, but I’ll be honest with you - he’s been quite a pest for the past few weeks. I gotta say, you’ve done a fair job with him. But it wasn’t good enough. Even those spidey-senses couldn’t detect an electrified hand just waiting to knock his lights out from the other side of a steel door.”

He heard Pepper gasp from behind him almost as if from a distance. He was going to kill this guy. There was no doubt about it. He would fry him just like he had to Peter. Tony had been shocked before, and it wasn’t a good feeling by any means. He couldn’t imagine how Peter, with his already overstimulated senses, had handled that. “Coward,” he spit again. It was the only thing he trusted himself to say. 

His insults seemed to have no effect. The man just laughed again. “I thought you were famous for your quick wit? Have all the witty comebacks deserted you in your moment of need, just like you did to your young friend here?” 

A low snarl ripped from his throat involuntarily. It only hurt so much because it was true. He hadn’t realized he was setting the kid up like this when he’d taken the suit away and had virtually cut off the contact between them due to being so busy in the aftermath, but it was certainly undeniable that he had. He was shaking all over now, and there was no way to hide it. “This is ransom demand, isn’t it? So just tell me what you want.” His voice sounded strained as the rest of him felt with the effort to keep himself under control. 

“Fine. I’ll be honest with you, I know this isn’t a good feeling, and I feel a bit bad about it. So if you come get him - alone, mind you - and bring me my money, I’ll let you both walk out of here, no questions asked. So long as you take the boy to go get looked at and agree to stay out of my way, of course. Don’t worry. I’ll be gone by morning.”

Tony closed his eyes. “How much?” 

“Hm…” the man pretended to consider it. “That's the question, isn’t it? How much is his life worth to you?”

_ Everything _ . The thought popped into his head, unbidden, but he had the sense not to say it. Yes, he’d give him whatever he wanted for Peter - the same thing he’d give for the other two people around him. He could see almost everyone he truly cared about right now, and the answer would be the same across the board. “I…  _ how much _ ?” 

“How about a full billion? I think that’d be quite enough to set me up for life.” 

Tony looked at Pepper, who nodded and went to work on it immediately. “You got it, jackass. When and where?”

“Oh, you know. However long it takes you to get the money and get here. I wouldn’t take too long, though. The kid’s not looking quite so hot.” He paused. “And let’s not pretend you’re not tracking this right now, Stark. You know where the kid is. So come and get him.”

And with that, the call disconnected. 

It was an effort not to chuck the blasted thing right over the railing. He handed it back to Happy without a word, strolling back inside. 

Happy quickly followed. “What are we going to do? Should I call the police?”

“Leave the police out of it for now.” He was a man on a mission, searching for his suit in the mess of boxes and crates. “I’ll handle it myself.” Mostly because what he wanted to do to him wasn’t entirely legal. Plus, he didn’t need this ending up all over the news. “You and Pepper just work on getting the money as fast as you can. I’m going to suit up and-“

“Is that a good idea? He did threaten to kill him if you showed up in it.”

Tony shot him a look. Like he didn’t remember that detail vividly enough. “Yeah, well, the kid’s hurt, Happy, and it’s the quickest way. I’ll deal with the rest when I get there.” Maybe not his best plan in the world, but he couldn’t sit in the car for an hour and a half and twiddle his thumbs, couldn’t fathom leaving Peter there like that for that long. He could shrink the suit down to just the glove with his nanotech anyway and just keep it hidden under his sleeve. He’d be damned if he was going in empty handed. 

“Fine. What can I do?” 

“Help Pepper gather the money. And get me some extra clothes for the kid. He’s going to need care I am not qualified to give him.” 

“What are you going to do, Tony, just drop him off at a hospital? It doesn’t work like that. And his aunt-“

“I’ll deal with it all later, Happy, now please, just go!” He didn’t mean to snap at him, but he was maintaining most of his control by a wire right now. This was too much. This was bad, and it was his fault. And now… 

He was going to make it right, all right. Starting by smashing that guy into the cement so hard-... well. Following that thought to completion was probably a bad idea. He was trying  _ not  _ to incubate homicidal ideals right now. 

But no matter what happened, first thing was first. 

He had to find his suit. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this story also got popular quick. Thank you to everyone who has been reading, reviewing, leaving kudos, etc. You're the best!
> 
> Just a small warning for the chapter - it does contain some mild torture. Nothing graphic as far as blood/gore goes, though.

The next half hour or so was a blur for Tony. 

At some point, he found his suit, and suddenly it was just on, and he didn’t even remember doing it. Then he spent the next 15 minutes or so pacing while he waited for Pepper and Hogan to retrieve what he’d sent them to. 

He couldn’t sit still. His mind was racing. He’d never had to deal with a ransom demand before, exactly, but he’d had Pepper abducted once. He’d been forced to make decisions for the good of the many over what was best for her, and he’d nearly lost her for it. He didn’t intend to come close to that again. This time it was just Peter on the line, and nothing was going to stop him from getting him back, even if it meant he had to tear this guy from limb to limb, with or without his suit. 

What was worse was that he’d tried to warn him about this. And Tony hadn’t even deemed him enough of a threat to go after him himself; he’d sent the FBI to do it, knowing full well their history of incompetence. He’d  _ scolded  _ Peter for trying to stop him. Because he was afraid of this, yes - but that didn’t stop it from happening, and it certainly didn’t stop this guy from going back after Peter as soon as he didn’t have the means to protect himself. And  _ that  _ was most definitely his fault. 

He couldn’t shake the image of the kid’s bloody face from his head. He just kept seeing it flash in front of him, seeing him slumped and unconscious, bleeding out, waiting-

“Tony!” 

He whirled. Pepper and Happy were quickly approaching, lugging two bags - one large duffel, presumably with the money, and a smaller one over his shoulder, presumably with clothes for Peter. “This is it,” Happy told him, handing him both bags. He took them both, pulling the duffel over his head, then the smaller backpack across his shoulders. “You’re wired up?”

“Same as always.” He retracted his mask as Pepper approached, letting his arms go around her instinctively as she hugged him. “Jarvis will signal you if I need back up.” He kissed Pepper on the head, then pushed her off gently and stepped away, starting to lift off the ground.

“Should I call May?” Happy asked.

Tony shook his head. “No. Not yet. You’ll just worry her when we don’t have all the information. Once I get him back we’ll decide how to handle it.” He slid the mask back into place. “I’ll see you soon.” He boosted the throttle, flying towards the door. 

“Keep in touch,” Happy called after him. Tony spun in the air to face them long enough to throw a mock salute backwards before rocketing into the sky. 

“Jarvis, you ready for this?” His eyes flicked through all the stats. 

“As ever, sir. What can do I?”

“Pinpoint me Peter Parker’s location and send me the quickest way there.” 

It was silent except for a dull hum for a moment as he worked, and then the flight plan popped onto the screen in front of his eyes. “The quickest way is to fly in a straight diagonal path southeast. You will have to veer a bit at the end to find the warehouse. At the recommended speed, arrival time is approximately 38 minutes.” 

“Top speed?” Recommended speed be damned right now. He’d flown at top speed many a time before against recommendation, and it hadn’t killed him yet. 

“Approximately 22 minutes. But sir, you know I have to advise against it.”

“I don’t really care what you’re advising right now, Jarvis. A kid’s life is on the line. Now kick it.” 

The throttle roared to full capacity, and he shot through the night like a speeding bullet.  _ I’m coming for you, kid. Just hold on.  _

~~~

Approximately 20 agonizing minutes later, Tony was hovering a few hundred feet in the air, looking down at the warehouse. 

This was it. He was here, and the best plan of action he had was to go in and try not to let himself go red with anger and kill this guy. 

He had no qualms about giving him the money - regardless of if he got it back or not, he certainly wasn’t lacking in it - but more so about the aftermath of that. He didn’t really want to let the guy escape, but he didn’t really have the time to fight him if it wasn’t necessary. If he went in there and the guy genuinely would let him walk out of there with the kid, he’d have to hand over the money and go. He couldn’t in good conscience stay long enough to get his hands dirty, not with Peter bleeding out in a corner. 

He’d just have to trust that the trackers he’d had added to the bag would be enough to lead the authorities to him, or for him to come back and finish the job later, if it came to that. 

Tony touched down on the ground and closed his eyes for a moment, steadying himself. “Jarvis, retract the suit into the gauntlet, but be ready to deploy on a second’s notice.” 

“You got it, boss.” The suit began to fold in on itself, the different bits of nanotech rolling across his body and disappearing into the gauntlet. He adjusted his sleeve to hide most of it and trusted the darkness to do the rest, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking inside slowly. 

It was indeed incredibly dark inside the warehouse. The only light sources really appeared to be a few dimly lit bulbs scattered throughout the building, and a few windows that let in the moonlight. 

It was enough for Tony to see exactly what he needed to. It didn’t take long to locate Peter, tied to one of the support beams across the warehouse. The boy appeared to be still unconscious, which wasn’t surprising considering his head was still trickling blood, and on closer inspection he could see more on the side of his shirt, and the awkward angle his leg appeared to be twisted in. Great. His injuries were extensive, then, just as Tony had suspected. That suggested some sort of fight, at least. On one hand, he was proud the kid had lasted long enough in a fight to sustain those injuries, but on the other, he wished he didn’t have to be in that scenario at all. Maybe when this was over, he’d try to rectify that. 

He hadn’t realized he’d started moving toward the kid until a voice said, “Ah ah ah. Not another step, Stark, or we can add something to that list of injuries you already see.”

Tony stopped in place. The voice was coming from above. He glanced up, trying to locate a source, but it was too dark to see very far. “Still hiding, are we? Too afraid to face me like a man?”

“Not hiding. Just waiting.” The man who called himself Vulture dropped from the ceiling, landing between Tony and Peter. He was wearing a gauntlet similar to Tony’s on his hand, but much bigger, and obviously made to hurt. He could see the electricity it commanded, flickering in wait. He could also see the glowing weapon that he was holding in his other hand, clearly one of the illegal ones made from alien tech that the kid had been talking about. 

Tony’s eyes lingered on the gauntlet for a moment, knowing instinctively that that was what he’d used to shock Peter. He’d have that thing destroyed, if he had any say in it. Then he forced his eyes away, back to the man in the dark leather suit. “Nice costume.” He cocked his head, nodding to the duffel bag he had slung over his shoulder. “I’ve got your money.” 

“Good. Take it off and send it over here. Nice and slow, or I’ll fry the kid again right here.” He held out the fist with the gauntlet on it in Peter’s direction. Great. So the thing shot electricity too.

Tony’s eyes flicked to him instinctively, and he pressed his lips together, knowing saying anything would just make this situation worse. He slowly pulled his hands from his pockets, grabbing the duffel with one hand and holding it out towards him. “How do you want me to do this?” 

Vulture regarded him for a moment, one arm still held out towards Peter. Then he jerked his head to the side, indicating a table on the opposite wall to the one Peter was tied to. “Take it over there. And keep your hands where I can see them.”

Tony looked at Peter again, then back to the villain before slowly starting that direction. He set the duffel on the table, conscious of being monitored at all times. Slowly, he raised his hands, showing him they were empty.

It was the wrong move, apparently. “Do you think I’m stupid, Stark?” His voice was dangerously low, and Tony knew immediately he’d made a mistake. This guy had something in those weird ass goggles of his that was helping him see - meaning he saw well enough to notice the gauntlet on Tony’s right hand. 

“N-”

He didn’t even wait for Tony to finish the word. He fired a beam of electricity from the gauntlet, right at Peter. 

The effect was instantaneous, and so was Peter’s scream. 

~~~ 

He was screaming almost before he was conscious. 

He’d been drifting in and out since he’d first woken up, and by now he’d realized that something was seriously wrong with him. The fuzziness in his head had only worsened, and he was starting to suspect that the lack of feeling in his limbs was from more than just being tied up. The utter lack of any type of response or even sensation, coupled with the fact that he still couldn’t see even though he was sure his eyes were open had his suspicions growing, only he was too fuzzy to actually figure out what it meant or what had happened. Getting to this point was a blur. 

Being electrocuted was enough to refocus reality for sure. Physical sensation be damned, but there was no way for him  _ not  _ to feel this. It was a particular feeling, and it was inside his body as well as out, magnified a hundred times through every part of him. And he couldn’t writhe, couldn’t move even the slightest bit-

All he could do was lay there and take it.

Some small, still functional corner of his mind picked up on the fact that he wasn’t the only one screaming. The voice was familiar, undeniably, but he couldn’t focus enough through the pain to be certain of anything more than the fact that it was a male voice. 

“Stop!  _ Stop _ !” The tormented scream was almost loud enough to match his own. 

And suddenly it was over. Peter’s body melted instantly, unable to so much as form anything more than a soft moan. How was it he couldn’t feel anything on the outside, but the pain was still just as bad?

“I gave you what you wanted, now leave him be.” 

Could it be? No. He was insane. It was the pain. There was no way…

“Oh, but I had to do something, Stark. I told you not to bring the suit, didn’t I?”

Stark. Tony.  _ Oh no _ . Tony had come for him? The small part of his brain that was still functioning was both relieved and terrified by this turn of events. Why did he come for him? How did he know he even needed to? What had he given Vulture? Why would he have come without his suit? Then the more panicked thoughts started to roll in. Oh, he was going to be in so much trouble. How did he find him? How much did he know about what had happened, and what would he say when he found out? They’d already been on rough terms after what happened with the ferry. The likelihood that Mr. Stark was going to let this go was not very good at all. 

Even through his haze of pain, he was smart enough for that thought to scare him almost as bad as he was afraid of what was happening right now. He just had to survive what was happening right now long enough for it to make sense to be afraid.

The situation was out of his hands, and his injuries soon started to cloud his mind again as he lay there. All rational thought started to dissipate as he started to sink back into his mind and grew dangerously closer to succumbing to his injuries. It was all he could do to hold on to the edges of consciousness, knowing and holding on to the thought with his last ounce of power that if he passed out again right now, he might not wake up. 

And so he laid there and waited. 

~~~ 

_ No no no no no no no no. _

Tony had seen a lot of things in his time, especially since becoming Iron Man, and he’d caused a lot of people a lot of pain, directly and inadvertently.

Nothing compared to this.

Watching the boy he’d so callously left to his own devices get tortured in front of him was the worst thing he’d ever had to endure. It was unbearable.

“No! No! Stop!  _ Stop _ !” He hardly realized the words had torn from his own throat in that moment. All he knew was that it took every ounce of his self restraint not to throw himself between this monster and his kid, and the only thing holding him back was that he knew it would only turn into something worse if he did. 

He nearly collapsed with relief when Vulture lowered the gauntlet, and he saw Peter just melt back into the pole behind him, breathing hard and letting out a low moan. 

There was murder in his eyes when he refocused on Vulture. “I gave you what you wanted. Now leave him be.” 

Vulture simply cocked his head at him, lowering his arm slowly. “Oh, but I had to do something, Stark. I told you not to bring the suit, didn’t I?”

“I didn’t!” The gauntlet shot back up, and Tony threw his hands up quickly. “Wait! Don’t do it. You’re right, I did, but you didn’t leave me any choice. You said alone and fast and a suit was the best solution. I took it off before coming in, didn’t I?” This wasn’t going at all how he wanted it to. 

The other man just stared at him, his head still tilted as he studied him. “Take it off.” 

“It is off.”

“ _ Completely _ , Stark.” 

“I can’t, I-  _ No _ !” Vulture had raised the gauntlet again before he’d even finished, and Peter’s screams filled the warehouse again. Tony took a shuddering breath and stumbled forward a bit, the panic in his system overriding his better judgement for a moment. “I can’t,  _ I can’t _ , I have to get us out of here somehow!” 

Vulture hadn’t even broken eye contact with him, seemingly unbothered by the teen’s anguish. “You can put it on again when I’m gone. Now take it off, or I’ll double the power here.” 

Tony didn’t hesitate. His hands were shaking with panic and adrenaline that he had no chance of hiding, but he ignored it the best he could as he worked it off and held the gauntlet up.

Vulture jerked his chin in the opposite direction. “Toss it away.”

Tony threw it over his shoulder, holding both now bare hands up. “There! Now stop it!” 

The electricity cut off, and Peter’s screams died with it, his whole body going rigid and spasming for a moment before relaxing again. The boy couldn’t even muster the energy to make a sound to whatever was happening, it seemed.

Tony closed his eyes for a moment. Medical science wasn’t his area of expertise, but he knew a seizure when he saw one. They were running out of time. “You got what you wanted,” he told Vulture, his voice unexpectedly hoarse when he spoke. He didn’t bother trying to clear it. “Now go. Or at least let me take the boy and leave.”

Vulture lowered the gauntlet, regarding Tony for another long moment before nodding once. “Don’t move,” he warned as he stepped away, his wings folding out from behind him and expanding as he moved across the warehouse, grabbing the duffel full of money. “I’d say it was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stark, but we both know that’s not true. But here’s to hoping we don’t meet again.” And then he jumped, his wings catching him in the air, and he swooped right out the entrance of the warehouse. 

He’d barely cleared the doorway before Tony was moving, snatching up the gauntlet as quick as he could before dashing madly over to Peter. “Kid!” He slid up to him on his knees, looking around wildly for the bonds holding him in place. Thankfully it was a simple rope that secured his hands behind the pole - something Peter could have easily escaped from had he been conscious and at full strength - and Tony severed it easily with a mild shot from his hand. The suit was already reforming around him. Clearly Jarvis had been monitoring the conversation from inside and had taken the cue himself on return to contact with Tony’s body. “Peter! Come on, kid, can you hear me?” 

All he got in response was a tiny sound that he wasn’t even sure if it was a groan or a whimper. It was enough for Tony to know he was still alive, and that was enough for him at the moment. He scooped him up, wincing as a hoarse scream tore from the kid’s throat. Oh, he was hurt, and those shocks would be enough to leave anyone tender, but he didn’t really have another choice. It would hurt no matter who moved him and leaving him there was not an option. 

He cradled the kid to his chest and kicked up the throttle. “Hang on, kid. I got you. You’re going to be okay.” He had no idea if he could even hear him, let alone comprehend what he was saying through the pain, but saying so made him feel a little better at least. 

Maybe if he said it enough times he could convince himself of it. 

A low growl building in his throat, Tony shot into the air, heading for the nearest hospital. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Whoa, triple updates, I know. I'm totally pushing it, but I was going to update two today, and I really wanted to update both this and the Spider-Man but I had to do something for Internship reaching 100+ followers, so, they're all updated! Hooray! I can't keep it up for too long though, so don't expect it forever xD
> 
> Anyway! I just wanted to say thank you for all the followers, favorites, and general love this story and all of them have been getting. I can't express how exciting it is and how much I appreciate it. Also, this story was only supposed to be a two or three shot, but it's starting to get a bit longer. I could feasibly stop the chapter or two after this, once Peter is out of the hospital, or I could keep going if that's what you guys want. I also noticed a lot of you seemed to enjoy this quite a lot considering how dark itis, especially last chapter. Would you guys be interested in reading some longer, darker stories? I have so many ideas rolling around in my head that it's totally feasible if there's an audience for them. Otherwise, I'll stick to focusing on what I've got going on right now.
> 
> So, let me know what you're thinking! And the 10 reviews=new chapter rule still stands, for anyone wondering.
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy the chapter, and thanks for reading! <3

The next few hours were some of the most agonizing of his life.

By the time Tony had reached the nearest hospital, the kid was limp and lifeless in his arms - with the exception of the occasional seizure, of course. He was glad for the suit, because without it, he might not have been able to hold on to him at all, let alone with as hard as he himself was shaking.

He still had the bag with the clothes strapped onto his back, but there was no time to change him, and little need for it anymore. The outfit that had once passed for his old suit was unrecognizable now, between the blood soaking it, the various rips and tears in it, and the fact it was half disintegrated from the electrocutions. Even Tony himself wouldn't have known what he was wearing if he hadn't seen the video of him in it before his arrival.

At least he didn't have to lie to the paramedics about what happened as he dropped the kid in the ER. It was simple enough to cover up his involvement as Spider-Man by simply saying that he had been abducted to use against him because of a presumed relationship they had, and the reasons behind Tony bringing him in and the circumstances surrounding the injuries were soon forgotten by the medical personnel when he told them exactly how he'd gotten them and what he'd been through.

Now, Tony sat in the waiting room, alone, pacing back and forth as he waited to hear some kind of news. He'd already called Pepper and Happy to let them know that he had the kid and to tell them to alert the police about the Vulture's escape, but he didn't have any more information for them than that. And he was so not looking forward to calling May. He still hadn't done so, largely because he didn't want to call her simply with news of what had happened but no explanation of Peter's condition. There was no point in calling until he knew something.

It was an agonizing few hours that he spent pacing that small waiting room, waiting desperately for news of the kid. When a doctor finally came out of the double doors to talk to him, he practically leapt at her.

The news she carried wasn't good, but it wasn't the worst case scenario, either. He was damaged, yes, but he was alive. Damaged he could work with; dead, on the other hand, he could not.

He allowed himself to be escorted to the room they were keeping him in and nodded to the nurses before coming in. What greeted him wasn't a pretty sight.

The kid was absolutely plastered with tubes and machines. He had one attached to both his chest and his head, an IV in one arm, an oxygen mask strapped onto his face, and a leg casted and placed into one of those hanging slings to keep it elevated above his heart. That was just what Tony could see. Under his gown, he knew there was at least one open wound in his side and a few broken ribs that had been wrapped, and his head was also swaddled in bandages on the one side. Lord only knew what else.

But he was alive, and breathing on his own, and that was enough for now. Tony took a steadying breath as he seated himself in the hospital chair and pulled out his phone. It was time to call May and tell her what had happened - the abridged version of it, anyway. He would need her permission to handle some of the paperwork in the aftermath of this anyway, and he couldn't keep this from her any longer.

He just hoped she didn't try to keep Peter from him when she found out.

Taking a deep breath again, he pulled out his phone and placed the call.

May picked up on the second ring, despite not knowing his number. Maybe she was just desperate enough to know where he'd gotten off to by that point that she was answering all the calls. "Hello?"

The panic in her voice broke his heart, as did the fact that he was going to have to solidify it. "May, this is Tony Stark. Do you remember me?" Not the best way to start off, maybe, but better than just blurting out the news.

"Mr. Stark? Listen, with all due respect, I'm in the middle of something right now, so-"

"I know." He closed his eyes. "Peter is missing. I'm with him now, though. I found him. Or rather…" he swallowed. This was the tricky part. "His captor found me."

May was so quiet on the other end of the line for a moment that he was genuinely worried that she'd either passed out or had some kind of heart attack. "May?" he asked cautiously.

"I-... I'm here." Her voice was barely more than a whisper. "What's going on, Tony?"

"Before I tell you that, let me just tell you that he's hurt, but he's with me now and he's gonna be okay. Okay? Can you trust me on that much?"

"Where is he?"

Tony hissed through his teeth. "We're in the hospital. But he's alright, remember?" he added quickly at the pained noise from the other side. "I'd tell you which one, but it's out of state and I don't actually know. I just got him to the quickest one as fast as I could."

"What happened to him?" Her voice broke slightly, and something in his chest seemed to crack at the sound. He may well have a heart attack before this day was over.

"I…" Tony stopped, trying to think of the best way to put it. He couldn't give her the whole truth, not yet, not until Peter was ready to tell her, which he clearly hadn't been, and he couldn't add that to her pain right now anyway. As furious as he himself was with Peter for putting himself in harm's way, he didn't need May to be as well. It was better for her to think the blame was all on him. "Peter was abducted. Someone knew of his connection with me because of the internship and tried to ransom him back to me." There. Not good, but close enough to the truth.

"Oh, Peter." He could hear the tears in her voice, and suddenly he found himself blinking back a few of his own. No, he wasn't going to cry. Not here, not right now. "How did you know? How did you get him back?"

"I… was at the Tower when the guy called me off of Peter's phone. I tracked it to them, gave the guy the money." So much more had happened than that, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her half of what had happened in between.

"How much?"

"It doesn't matter. Trust me when I say it was pocket change for me, May. I just… I would have given anything to get him back, alright? It honestly doesn't matter." He looked down, picking some imaginary lint off his pants, just to have something to focus on that wasn't the flashbacks of the kid's face while he was in pain, or his broken body in front of him. "This whole thing is my fault, May, and I am… so sorry for what happened that I can't even express it. If I had ever thought for a minute that this could happen…" He didn't even know what to say. He would have spared no expenses to keep him safe. "I would have done everything in my power to make sure it didn't. And if you don't want him to continue with the internship, then I completely understand, and I will respect that." _Even if it kills me_. "I just… would still like to be allowed to check up on him, if you don't mind."

"Oh, Tony." Her voice broke again, and he knew she was crying on the other side. "I would never keep you from seeing him, and I could never take the internship away from him, either. Working with you means so much to him." Funny, considering he had no idea what he did when he said he was interning with him, but now wasn't the time or the place to reveal that. "The fact that you can even say half of what you just did is enough to tell me everything I need to know."

Some of the tension drained from his body as he processed the relief. "Thank you, May. I honestly don't know what else to say. Apologizing won't change what happened, but I can assure you it will never happen again."

"I know it won't. And it's not your fault, Tony. You couldn't have known this would happen. I'm just so grateful that you got to him in time." She stopped for a moment, and he waited patiently, knowing she was trying just as hard to keep her composure as he was. "How is he? Do you know anything yet?"

"Yes, I talked to the doctor right before I called you." He sat back in the chair, staring at Peter's nearly obscured form. "It's a long list," he warned quietly.

"Just tell me."

Tony closed his eyes. "As of right now, he has a broken leg, broken foot, a few broken ribs, a wound in his side, and a concussion. They think he's having sensory issues due to nerve damage, and they detected a mild cardiac arrhythmia that should straighten itself out." Hopefully, if the kid could go more than a few hours without being shocked. "And… he's having seizures."

"Cardiac distress? Seizures? Nerve damage?" Her voice was so high that he winced slightly. "What the hell happened to him?"

He wet his lips, looking down. "Sources say he tried to fight off the guy who abducted him. Nasty fight, some nasty conks to the head, probably where most of the wounds come from, although we won't be sure until he wakes up. And…" this was the worst. Why did he have to tell her this? "I… think he may have been shocked once or twice." Or three or four times. And electrocution was closer to accurate of what he experienced than a small shock, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her that.

"Oh, God." She was really crying now. "What makes you think that?"

"The symptoms, and, well…" he closed his eyes again, his face contorting as he tried to block out the pain himself. "I may have seen it happen."

"How many times?"

The shaking in his voice mirrored hers as he answered. "Twice." His voice was barely a whisper. It was all he could manage. "It was probably the most horrible thing I've ever seen." Tied right up there with believing he'd watched Pepper fall to her death.

They were both quiet for a long minute. The only sound was May sniffling softly as she tried to get herself together. Finally, she said, "I'm so sorry, Tony. But thank you so much for what you did. He's… he's like my son."

Tony stood up slowly, walking over to the kid and looking down at him. He longed to reach out and touch him, but he knew it would just hurt him. "Yeah. Mine too."

Again, that horrible silence. "How is he?"

"I don't know if I can say fine, considering his injuries, but he's doing alright. He's unconscious but stable. They're keeping him sedated until they can figure out where the seizures are coming from and what to do about it." His eyes flicked to the nodes attached to the kid's head before he forced them away again.

"Will they be permanent?"

"I don't know yet." He shook his head. "They've all been short and lower level, which is a good sign. It could be a result of the shocks or the concussion or both. There's no way to tell yet."

"When can I see him?"

Tony sighed heavily. "I don't know. I want to get him out of here, at least to a better hospital, but I'm trying to let them get all the preliminary stuff done, at least. I don't want to risk moving him before he's ready. And I would like to see him wake up first." He paused. "I'll probably need your permission for a lot of that. They took him because of his state and they've only given me as much as they have because I brought him," and because he was Tony freaking Stark and no one dared challenge him, "But legally they shouldn't have. If I start trying to give orders they'll want your consent."

"Of course. If you figure out where you're at and text me the number, I'll call in and get it handled." She paused for a minute. "But one more thing before you go."

"Anything," he responded without hesitation.

"I… Do you have a plan for when he gets out? I still have to work, and I don't think I'll have the time to give him the care and attention he'll need. I can't afford not to go."

Shit. He had been so worried about the here and now he hadn't really thought about letting the kid go home and what would happen once he got there. He really didn't want him out of his sight again, which he knew was completely infeasible but not an illogical response to what had happened.

And May… she was right. Of course, it wasn't as though he couldn't fund them plenty for as long as she needed to be off work, but she didn't seem like the type of woman who took handouts well, and if he had to guess, her job was probably one of the few things holding her together at this point. He knew that feeling.

He also knew that he didn't want to leave him. In his mind, he knew there was a seemingly simple solution to both of these problems, but… was he ready for that? Most days he could hardly take care of himself, let alone the kid. And what would happen if the other Avengers showed up at the tower? And with the move… how could he balance that, honestly?

"I…" He swallowed thickly. He could figure all that out later, if May even said yes. Peter was the most important thing right now. "I could take him."

"What?"

"I mean, he could stay with me. Most of the time, I mean. You know, until he's better. You'd still have full access to him, of course, and I'm not exactly experienced with taking care of someone, I admit, but between Pepper and Happy and I, we could figure out. Take shifts, or something." He was rambling, he knew, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth he was struck with an overwhelming fear that he'd overstepped, and that May would change her mind about him even being able to see him, so he found himself fumbling to justify his offer.

"Oh. _Oh_." May stopped for a moment, and he thought his heart stopped too. "That's really kind of you, but I couldn't ask you to do that."

"It's not asking. I'm offering." He looked down at him, reaching up and brushing the kid's hair from his face, careful to avoid touching his skin. "I'd be thrilled to have him. Besides, it's the least I could do, considering this whole thing is my fault." Which was all the more reason she'd be justified in saying no.

May went silent, and he said nothing, knowing nothing else he could say would do much for her. "Alright, then," she said at last. "Let me know when you're on your way back to the city, then. I'll meet you at the Tower?"

"That sounds great. I'll keep you updated, May."

"Thank you." He knew those two words went so much deeper and were for more than just promising to keep her updated.

"Anytime," he said, and meant it. Then she hung up, and he lowered the phone, staring at it for a long minute before putting it away.

He'd done everything he could. Now all that was left to do was sit there and wait.


	4. Chapter 4

Everything was pain. 

Breathing was pain. His body was pain. There was nothing besides it. And every time the tremors rocked through him, forcing his muscles to stiffen and then relax again, it was like a new wave of it. 

As he started to come around, it was incredibly hard to focus through the pain. Even what didn’t hurt, tingled, and every part of his senses felt exaggerated, even more so than normal. He hadn’t had a migraine since becoming Spider-Man, and boy, after this, he was determined to never have one again. 

It was a relief to open his eyes and find himself actually able to see again. What wasn’t a relief was how bright and white everything was, and the sight of the machines surrounding him. 

Slowly, achingly, he raised a hand up to shade his eyes from the light. It helped, but not much. It hurt to move too much, so he let his eyes dart around, taking everything in. His leg, the machines, the oxygen mask on his face, Mr. Stark slumped over asleep in the chair beside him- 

….wait.

It took some effort for him to turn his head enough to confirm that it was indeed Tony Stark that was sleeping in the hospital chair next to him. Stark was still here? Why? What could he possibly want now? He’d made it pretty clear that they were done with each other the day he’d taken the suit away. So why…

Foggy memories made their way back to him. Tony, in the dark, screaming for Vulture to stop as he was electrocuting him. Something about what he wanted and Tony’s suit. The agonizing feeling the cold metal of Tony’s suit on his burning, sensitive skin as he freed him. Tony trying to tell him that everything would be okay. 

Somehow, he doubted it. Just because Tony was here didn’t make it a good thing. Oh, he was going to be in so much trouble when Mr. Stark woke up. The thought made his heart start pounding, and he groaned a little bit. Every thump of his heartbeat send another small spasm of pain through him. Everything hurt. The world faded out of focus for a minute. His heart monitor started beeping.

Almost from a distance, he heard Tony jolt upright in the chair. When he rushed over and saw the hand he held over his eyes, he moved quickly, turning off the lights before returning to his side. “Kid? Can you hear me?” 

His voice snapped everything back into focus, including the pain. Peter let out a low groan, lowering his arm slowly. His vision swam in and out of focus, and he had to close his eyes again to steady himself and calm his racing heart before opening them again and actually being able to focus on Tony. 

At the sight of the elder hero standing above him, looking concerned, Peter simply closed them again. “What are you doing here?” he whispered. It was all the louder he could manage. 

“What am I- seriously?” Peter flinched, his eyes cinching further shut. Tony stopped, steadying himself and checking his volume before continuing in a whisper. “Peter, do you even know what you’re saying? Where you are?”

“I think I’m in the hospital,” the boy responded without opening his eyes. “And I think you shouldn’t be here.” 

It was an effort to keep the pain and fury pushed down into a box now that he was awake. And talking to him like this! “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t be here,” Tony demanded. Still, he kept his voice low, and managed to keep emotion mostly out of his tone, so he was pretty proud of himself. 

“I thought you were done with me. You said it yourself,” Peter whispered. “The day you took the suit back. You said it wasn’t working out.” He opened his eyes slowly, looking up at him. “I just wanted to handle the Vulture thing and move on. I didn’t mean to drag you into it, Mr. Stark. If you want to leave, you should just…”

“ _ Leave _ ?” He flinched again, and again Tony had to stop and wrangle his emotions and his volume back under control before he could speak again. “Why would I want to leave? And why would I be done with you? Look, you made a mistake, kid - you’ve made plenty, it seems like, and you’ve got a lot to answer for. But so have I. And what I said on the roof that day…” He stopped, shaking his head. “I handled it wrong, alright? It was wrong. But I panicked, Peter. I panicked because I was afraid of something like  _ this _ .” He gestured widely at him. “I panicked and I said what I did because I care about you,  _ not  _ because I don’t.” 

Peter had closed his eyes again, and for a moment Tony wondered if he was even awake. He had almost decided that he was asleep and was about to sit back down when Peter spoke. “How did you find me?”

Tony sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. “Vulture called me from your phone. Demanded a ransom, said a lot of things that I’m not going to get into right now.” Partially because it was way too intense a conversation to relive already, and partially because while he wanted answers, he wasn’t going to start down that road or he’d start pushing for them right now and he knew he didn’t need to. They had time. “I tracked it down and brought it to him.”

“A ransom.” Peter opened his eyes again, raising a hand to rub his face. “That’s what you brought him.”

“Yeah.” Tony looked at him for a moment, surprised. He’d thought he was unconscious. “Did you hear him say that?” 

Peter nodded once. “I… yeah. After he… you know. Fried me.” They both winced a little. “I heard you say you’d brought him what he wanted, and he said something about your suit… I remember bits and pieces, but it’s all foggy.”

“I can’t imagine why. You lost a lot of blood.” The image of him slumped against the pole flashed in his head again, and he shook it away. The kid was here. He was safe. Enough was enough. 

They were silent for a moment. Then Peter asked, “Did he get away with it?” 

Tony looked away. “Yeah. He did. But it was fight him or save you, kid, and I already told you. You’re not dying on my watch.” He turned away, unable to face him as he said it. “But… I’m sorry about… everything that happened in there. I took a risk, and it didn’t pay off the way I was hoping it would, and you suffered for that.”

“It’s alright, Mr. Stark. It wasn’t your fault.” He yawned a little, then groaned. Yawning was painful, inside and out. 

Tony turned to look at him again, standing by the foot of his bed. “What you did in going after him wasn’t exactly my fault, no, although I probably could have prevented it, had I not been so distracted. But what happened in that warehouse, and the fact that he even had the thought that he could use you against me like that and get away with it? That was my fault.” He paused when his phone buzzed, pulling out of his pocket and glancing at it. “Speaking of things being my fault, that’s what your aunt believes. I already talked to her.”

At the mention of his aunt, Peter tried to sit up a little, but pain made him fall back in the bed. Tony rounded the side, putting a hand over him to keep him down. “Easy, boy. Easy. She’s fine. She wasn’t thrilled with me, exactly, but she’s not mad, either. She knows what happened, and she’s just glad you’re alive.” 

Peter nodded, swallowing back against his pain. “Speaking of being alive, though… I have to say, I thought I was a goner. How’d you do it?” 

“Flew like a bat out of hell, that’s how.” Tony sighed. These memories of the past twelve hours would likely haunt him for the rest of his life. 

He nodded. “So what’s my prognosis looking like? Outside of my life or death, I mean.”

Tony shot him a look that said he didn’t think the last comment was funny. “It’s looking like you’re going to have some lasting effects from your stupidity-” and his “-that’s what it looks like.” He shook his head. “You’ve been having seizures for hours, and your heart can’t decide if it’s going to beat properly or not. For a while it looked like you were going to have some nerve damage, but lucky for you, that issue seems to have mostly cleared itself up.” He raised an eyebrow at him. “I would love to know how that happened.” 

“There is a little bit more to me than just the suit, Mr. Stark,” Peter mumbled, closing his eyes again and shrinking a little under the intense look. 

“Well, that’s good to know, at least. For future reference. You know, the next time you decide to be a stubborn teenage ass and not ask for help when you need it and I have to drop everything to come save you again. Oh, by the way, that’s not going to happen again for a while. I’m not letting you out of my sight until you’re completely healed.” Tony turned to him, crossing his arms. 

“What?” Peter frowned at him. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean exactly what I said.”

“No, you can’t. I’m going home, with May, right? Unless you’re moving in…” he trailed off, realizing he actually wouldn’t past him to do something similar to that. 

“Close, but you got it backwards.”

Peter’s eyes widened a bit. “What? I can’t live with you.”

“And whyever not?” Tony countered, raising an eyebrow. He would have to tell the kid that his aunt had already approved of it and that it was already settled eventually, but right now his reaction was too funny. 

“Because! I have school, and not to mention there would be Aunt May to contend with, and… I just want to be home.” Peter stopped, rubbing his eyes. He knew he was starting to sound like a whiny child, but he  _ felt  _ like one right now, and if he hadn’t earned the right to just be petulant and in pain right now… 

Tony paused. He hadn’t expected the last part. Sometimes he had a hard time understanding people’s attachment to certain places and things, but then, look at how he’d reacted to this, and to preparing to leave the old Avengers headquarters. He sighed, passing a hand over his face and settling on the edge of the bed. “Listen, Peter. I’ll level with you here. What you did was crazy dangerous and irresponsible. And you scared the shit out of more than just me. I think I’ve earned the right to keep you under wraps for a while, and your aunt has already agreed.” He held up a hand to stop him when Peter opened his mouth to speak. “No. You can’t go back to school until we get this sorted out, which will be a few months at least, if not the rest of the year, and May still has to work. She doesn’t have the time to be your twenty four hour babysitter. And right now you need one, because you are completely unstable and you’re not going to be able to so much as go to the bathroom by yourself until we get these issues sorted out. So yes, you’re coming home with me.”

Peter just stared at him for a moment. His injured and traumatized brain could hardly process all this at once. “I…” His brows furrowed slightly. He knew Stark was going to be mad, if he found out, which he hadn’t been really banking on him doing. But this was a whole new level of controlling, whether he was trying to help or not. “What if I don’t  _ want  _ to go with you?” 

Tony stared back at him for a moment, careful to keep his expression unreadable. He knew exactly how he was feeling, and what he was thinking - and yes, damned straight he was being a control freak right then, but he really didn’t give a shit. “Tough cookies, kid. The adults have made a decision, and you’re going to have to deal with it.” The thought that Peter genuinely might not want to go with him stung more than he cared to admit, but in the grand scheme of things, he honestly couldn’t care less how he felt about it. Someone needed to get a handle on him. May couldn’t, not with all the stress she was already under, even if she had known about him being Spider-Man, which he knew she didn’t. 

Speaking of adults, he suddenly realized he hadn’t informed anyone else in the house that he would be bringing Peter back with him. He hadn’t informed them of anything recently, come to think of it. He’d been so distracted and worried about the kid and the conversation with May that he hadn’t even thought to call Pepper in the aftermath. 

Peter was still watching him, and he could see the pain in the kid’s eyes, but he knew it wasn’t really directed towards him. It was a rough thing to go through, super or not. There would be a transition period for everyone involved, he was sure, but they would get there. 

Sighing, he put a hand on Peter’s good leg and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Whether you want to believe it or not, kid, I care about you. We all do. That’s why we’re doing this, why  _ I’m  _ doing this. I want to help you. You need it, whether you want it or not.” He stopped when the boy turned away, nodding again and trying to cover a yawn. “Get some rest. I’ll still be here when you wake up.” 

Peter just nodded, his thoughts clearly somewhere else. Tony patted his knee one last time and got up, moving back to the chair and sitting back down. He needed to go make some calls and get some food and check on arrangements, but he was determined that he wasn’t leaving until the kid was asleep. 

Hard as he tried to resist, as soon as there was nothing to focus on and no conversation to distract him, Peter was unconscious. As soon as Tony was sure he was well and truly out, he got up, slipping out of the room without a sound. He had business to take care of. 


	5. Chapter 5

After confirming with the front desk what the text he'd received from May had said - a simple message to let him know he should be cleared to make medical decisions for Peter without having to consult her now - he made his way down to the vending machines, needing something to eat desperately, even if it was just a bag of chips.

He bought a few bags of chips and a cup of coffee, then headed outside after a moment's thought. He needed a little bit in the fresh air, and he didn't want to wake Peter with his noisy snacks either.

He settled on an empty bench outside the hospital and sighed, taking out his phone to call Pepper. If he didn't update her soon, she'd be freaking out.

Despite the hour, she picked up on the second ring. "Tony?"

"Hey Pep." He sighed again, taking a long drink of his coffee and making a face. It wasn't good, but at least it was warm and caffeinated.

"Hey. How's it going? How's Peter? You haven't called in hours. I getting worried something happened." She stopped, and he could just picture her running her hands through her messy hair. "Nothing happened, right?"

"Nothing outside of the damage that has already been done." He leaned back on the bench. "He's stable, and he finally woke up, for a little bit at least. I'm sorry it's been so long. I had to wait on results and then I really had to tell his aunt what happened."

"How'd she take it?" Her voice was soft.

"About as well as could be expected. She was freaking out, but she knows he's okay and that he's with me and… the basic gist of it all. And she's not trying to keep me from seeing him or anything." _Despite it being all his fault_.

Pepper seemed to guess the added thought. "It wasn't your fault, Tony. You couldn't have known this would happen. You saved him, and that's all that matters, so long as you continue to be there for him."

The same basic gist as what his aunt had said. He just sighed again, looking down at his coffee. "About that, Pep…"

"About what?" Her tone had sharpened, and he could guess what she was thinking. _You're not going to wriggle your way out of this one_.

"It's not what you think. I…" He stopped, taking a breath. "I told his aunt I would take care of him until he got better. He's going to stay with us." When he didn't get an immediate response, he continued quickly, "He's really bad off, Pep. And May still has to work, and I just…" _I can't leave him again_.

She had an uncanny way of knowing what he was thinking, and he knew, again, he didn't have to add that last thought for her to understand. She just sighed heavily. "Oh, _Tony_. You know I don't have a problem with it, but… you also know you have no idea what you're getting into, right? You're not a doctor, and you can barely manage to take care of yourself. And the timing…"

"I know, I know. Believe me, Pep, I do, but what else was I supposed to do? He needs someone. And May… she loves him, dearly, but she's not qualified to deal with a teenage superhero, let alone a hurt one, even if she had the time. And she doesn't even know the truth."

"Tony...we're not really qualified either," Pepper cautioned him carefully.

"I know. But we're the closest the kid's got." He sighed. "It's just temporary." _At least for now_.

She was quiet for a moment. "You can't expect to keep the truth from her forever."

"I know. But it's not my choice, and I'm not going to take it away from him, either."

"How bad off is he?" He repeated the list of injuries to her that he'd given to May, and she groaned quietly. "How do you really intend to deal with this, Tony?"

"Very carefully, Pep." He held his head in his hand, rubbing his temple. "Very, very carefully."

It was silent for a long minute. Then she just sighed again. "Alright. You know I trust you, Tony. If this is what you want…"

"It's hardly about what I want, Pepper. More about what's best for the kid." But he did want this. He wanted to help take care of Peter. He wanted to be there to see him get better, and hopefully keep him out of trouble as best he could from now on. And he knew they both knew it.

"I know." She paused. "When are you going to be home?"

"As soon as they get the seizures straightened around. They fed him some kind of medication while he was out, and he hasn't seized in a few hours. So hopefully by tomorrow evening, if he stays seizure-free."

"Alright. I'll get a room ready for him tomorrow then. Just let me know when you get the go-ahead and I'll send Happy your way."

"Will do." Silence. "I love you, Pep."

"I love you too, Tony. Try to get some rest, okay?" Then she disconnected, not even waiting on an answer they both knew he wouldn't truthfully give.

He sighed, putting his phone away and going back inside. The worst of it was over now, but he still had a long night ahead of him.

If only it didn't have to be on the hard hospital couch.

Somehow, he did sleep. Not exactly comfortably, but exhaustion took over for once, and he was asleep almost as soon as he settled onto the couch.

He jolted awake every time someone entered the room, though, which happened frequently throughout the night. For the most part, it was just people coming in and out, checking on him. The worst time was when the kid's heart monitor went off, and he was up and off the couch in an instant, which was about as long as it took for the two nurses at the desk to get to the room.

He had to stand out of the way for them to do their jobs, even if it was painful. He couldn't hear a lot of what was going on over the monitor, but it only took the nurses a few minutes to discern what was wrong.

One of them silenced the monitor, and he looked up as she approached. "He's fine. There's nothing medically wrong with him. It appears he's just having a nightmare."

 _I can't imagine why_. He sighed and nodded, moving up to the kid's side the minute they were out of the room. Then he stopped. So he was having a nightmare. He had nightmares himself, of course, but comforting other people wasn't really his strong suit, let alone when it was things he couldn't even see. He had no idea where to start.

He suddenly realized he'd better figure it out if he was going to bring the traumatized kid home with him. It was unlikely this would be a one time occurrence.

That thought in mind, he stepped closer to the bed, reaching out slowly to lightly run his fingers through his hair, stroking it back off of his forehead. He sighed slightly as the kid tensed and then relaxed under his touch, his eyelids fluttering rapidly and then seeming to settle after a few minutes.

When his breathing settled and he could see his heart rate had returned to normal, he retreated back to the couch, letting out a long breath and settling back down. This was only the beginning. If he'd woken up or it had got any worse… next time it wouldn't be so easy.

He sighed as he laid back down on the couch. For now he would just be grateful that it was and try to go back to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand to think I really had intended for this to be a oneshot. Well. Joke's on you guys for believing me. I've never been good at those. xD
> 
> That said, does anyone really want to see more of this? I could just end it here, if you guys would rather. I don't have a whole lot of plot in mind for this going forward besides a lot of domestic fluff and Tony eventually finding the Vulture and giving him what's coming to him. I could continue with that if you guys want, or if anyone has any suggestions of anything else they'd like to see, let me know! I'm always open to suggestions and prompts. You can always drop me a comment here or throw me a line or two on my tumblr (my main is capshorty, but my writeblr is thewritingcaptain).
> 
> Anyway, yeah, let me know what you guys think, and thanks so much for reading! Love you all 3000. <3

A day later it was announced that he could go home… with about a million and one stipulations.

For starters, the machines on his head and his heart were going with him, for at least a few days. The doctors insisted that while both issues seemed to have magically cleared themselves up, neither were anything he wanted to mess with, and they wanted a few days of clean monitoring before letting him off completely. But those were something he could do at home, so he was still allowed to go.

Then there was also all his injuries to contend with. One of his legs was broken from his foot to his femur, and the other also had suffered fractures - not to mention moving or putting weight on any part of his body hurt like hell right now - so crutches, for the time being, were out of the question, and therefore so was walking. Tony must have already known this, because the wheelchair he was presented with wasn't one of the hospital's, and he didn't have to give it back as they left.

He also wasn't allowed to go anywhere by himself or really be left unattended at all, but that was to be expected, even if it was embarrassing.

No more embarrassing than Tony hovering and fussing over him had already been, though. It was clear he didn't really know what to do with himself and so was doing his best to keep Peter comfortable and entertained, as that was about all he could do while "supervising" him in the hospital. And since he had almost as much money as he did sense, he had went out a few times - while Peter was asleep, of course - and bought him things.

It took a few times of Peter waking up to things that weren't there before for him to realize what was happening. The first time was simple - he woke up to a different blanket and pillow than he'd went to sleep with. They were both blue, which made Peter wonder if they were actually from the hospital or not, but Mr. Stark didn't mention it, so neither did he. Then other things started popping up. Flowers. One of his favorite movies. A Wookie plush. Each one had a different excuse - from May, or Pepper had suggested such and such, but every time he dozed off he woke up to something new.

On the day they were leaving, Mr. Stark presented him with a new outfit - just fresh boxers, sweats, and a tee shirt, but it was enough to bring to mind the other gifts that had kept appearing. "Did you buy these?" Peter asked.

Mr. Stark looked taken aback for a moment. "Did you think they materialized out of thin air?"

"Well, you certainly wanted me to think that about the rest of the stuff you bought me, so yeah, maybe a little," Peter blurted, before he could think better of it.

Stark's mouth opened and closed once, his lips pressing into a thin line. "You're already on thin ice, Parker. Don't push me." He threw the clothes into his lap and turned away, but not before Peter caught the hint of a smile the older hero was trying to hide.

A short time later, he was being transferred from the wheelchair to the backseat of one of Mr. Stark's cars. Apparently there had been some line of communication going on even while he was still in and out, because Happy was waiting for them outside the hospital.

"Get settled in," the driver warned as he helped him into the backseat, mindful of the miniature machines he was hooked to. "We've got a bit of a drive ahead of us."

Peter nodded, scooting into the backseat and sighing a little as he set the bag with both of his machines attached to them down beside him. He had to have separate monitors for his heart and his brain, but the good news was they were both able to be downgraded to mobile battery-power monitors, both of which fit together in a bag, so at least the were portable. Not that the wires were very comfortable - or hideable - but he wasn't going to be anywhere but a guest room in Stark tower for the next month, apparently, so it didn't much matter.

They also made wearing a seatbelt nearly impossible without disturbing the million and one wires attached to him. He grabbed it and stopped, not sure how to proceed.

"Don't worry about it, kid." Mr. Stark had slid in beside him while he was preoccupied.

Peter looked at him, surprised, both at the words and the fact he'd chosen to sit in the back with him. "What?"

The older hero flashed him a grin. "I said don't worry about it. Happy isn't going to wreck us. Anyway, I'd keep you from going flying if he did." He took his bag of machines and made a face. "Geez, these weigh as much as you do."

"Only about half, Mr. Stark. Maybe." Peter knew he was being dramatic mostly to try to make him feel better, and it was helping.

"Definitely at least half. Anyway-" he set the machines down beside him. "You should take the time to get some rest. No doubt you'll be swarmed with people when we get back to the Tower."

Peter was inclined to agree until the last sentence. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Pepper is dying to make sure you're alright, and so is your aunt. They've both been checking in on you at least every hour or so. And I'm sure your friend Ted or whatever his name was will want to see you, although if you'd rather wait to call him until you've got all those machines off- what?" Tony stopped when Peter's face changed slightly at the mention of calling anyone.

"I, Uh… my phone…" he hadn't been allowed to be on it because of the blue light, nor awake long enough to do so for most of his stay, and he'd talked to May only once on Mr. Stark's phone the day before. He hadn't been awake or allowed on it to notice until they were being discharged that he didn't have it. "It's… gone," he completed.

It occurred to Tony suddenly that Vulture had taken it to send him the video, and it wasn't like the kid had been awake to take it even if the villain had offered it back to him. "Oh. Right. We can fix that - later. You're not supposed to be on it much anyway." He paused again, debating the downfalls of a random teenager having his number against how happy it would make the teenager beside him. Oh well. Maybe if Peter did something else that was stupid in the future, it could be useful. Otherwise he could always block the kid. "Do you want to use mine?" he finally offered.

Peter's eyes widened, no doubt having the same thoughts. Likely the kid wouldn't have ever asked with precisely that thought in mind, and all the more reason why he was sure he was making a good decision. "Really?"

"It's just a phone call, don't get too excited," he scoffed, trying to act nonchalant despite never being gladder to see his overexcited grin. He pulled up the dial pad and handed the phone over. "But you've got ten minutes," he warned. "Then sleep."

"Okay!" Ten minutes was more than he'd hoped for anyway, and for a moment his inner fanboy was getting the best of him again. He was using Mr. Stark's phone! And sure, he'd spent the past two days at his bedside, and he was riding in the car with him, but he'd done that before, and obviously Stark had stayed because he was Spider-Man, and because he felt responsible for him, like he'd already told Peter. That was probably why he was making him stay with him too, so he could make sure he recovered smoothly and he didn't have anything left to worry or feel guilty about when he let him go again. But still, letting him touch his phone? That was a whole different level of trust, and though he knew it was more a gesture of pity than anything, the thought was still exciting.

His fingers trembled slightly as he typed in Ned's number and hit the call button.

Ned picked up on the second ring, sounding confused, probably at the unknown number. "Hello?"

"Ned! It's me!" And just like that, he was grinning.

"Peter! Oh my God, you scared the shit out of all of us! Liz was really upset and then you disappeared and MJ was asking me questions and I was worried you went after Vulture which is absolutely insane because I know Mr. Stark took your suit and that would have been really irresponsible but May said you got hurt and wouldn't tell me what happened and-"

"Ned, slow down," Peter interjected. He threw a sideways glance at Mr. Stark, who was conspicuously _not_ watching him and picking at his nails, but Peter was smart enough to know he was still listening. "Listen, it's really complicated and I can't explain right now. But anyway, I'm out of the hospital now, and I'm going to stay with Mr. Stark for a few days and he said you can come see me so I was thinking maybe after school tomorrow-"

"Wh-WAIT. You're staying with Tony Stark? Dude! That's insane! How did that happen? I know you said you had the internship but since that was a cover for the Spider-Manning I didn't realize that was an actual thing!" Ned sounded like he actually might pass out.

"Yeah, it's, uh, complicated, like I said," Peter mumbled, pretending not to notice the sharp look Tony had thrown him at the "few days" comment. "Anyway, if you come to the tower after school tomorrow, I'll explain everything. I'd come to you, but, uh-" Tony was still giving him a look that hinted danger, so he muttered, "I… don't think I'm allowed to leave."

Ned didn't seem to mind. "Held captive by Tony Stark," he said with no small amount of awe. Peter couldn't help but snort. "That's, like, a dream come true. Probably the most amazing thing to happen to either of us." He paused, then added, "Are you going to be tied up when I show up? Am I gonna have to be, like, patted down for weapons to come see you?"

Peter laughed. "I don't know, dude. I doubt it, but I guess I wouldn't put anything past him."

"You're probably lucky to be getting visiting privileges," Ned joked.

"Probably," Peter agreed seriously, unable to resist looking back at the billionaire again to see his response to hearing this probably incredibly-odd-sounding conversation, from the one side he could hear. He just quirked a brow at him and tapped his watch, indicating he should wrap it up. He huffed, looking out the window, but knowing Tony wouldn't hesitate to simply take the phone from him if he tried to disobey. "Hey, speaking of my incredibly limited prisoner's rights, my allotted phone time is about up. I gotta go. Can you come tomorrow?"

"Anything for you, buddy. I'll be sure to gather up your work and bring it with me."

At the mention of all the work he was accumulating finally being brought to him, he released some of the tension he didn't realize he'd been holding in. "Thanks, Ned. You're a real lifesaver."

"I know I am. That's why I'm your Guy In The Chair."

Peter couldn't help but smile, looking down. "Yeah, it is. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Peter hung up and turned back to Mr. Stark, who was by now blatantly listening and watching him with bemused smirk as he took the phone back. " _I'm_ keeping you prisoner now, am I?"

Peter just shrugged, unabashed. "He said it first, not me. Anyway, he's not wrong. Keeping me locked in the tower for days on end to stroke your ego? It's like a twisted fairy tale."

He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth and he saw the way Stark's face morphed. His mouth fell open slightly in an expression of shock and maybe even a flicker of hurt before snapping shut, lips pressing into a thin line. "Is that what you think?"

"Well, I mean, not exactly-"

"No, that's exactly what you think. That I'm keeping you around as some kind of pet pity project. Is that it?" Tony could hardly believe what he was hearing. Okay, he'd been detached and had admittedly tried to keep the kid at arm's length, but he'd thought he'd made it obvious _why_ and that that was over back in the hospital room.

Peter has frozen, unsure how to react at the sudden anger and indignation coming off the man. "No, Mr. Stark-"

" _Peter_." He crossed his arms, giving him a look that made the boy shrink away. "The truth."

Peter stared back at him for a moment, then sighed, looking out the window instead, because it was so much easier than meeting his hero's eyes when he looked at him like that. "I just… I don't know. You just showed up and plucked me up to help you with Germany and then disappeared and the only time you ever show up in _any_ form is when it has to do with Spider-Man stuff. Not that I really expected any more than that from you, just like I really didn't expect you to bother with any of my messages when it's not an emergency, because you're busy, being _you_ and doing hero stuff and all that and that's _fine_ , it's just-" He stopped and took a breath, realizing he was rambling. "I just thought that you rightfully only care about the Spider-Man side of things. Because you gave me the suit and if I get hurt in it then you feel like that's on you and if I do good in it then that's also good for you. And yeah, when you took it back…" Peter shrugged helplessly, looking down and wringing his hands together. "I thought we were done. And I was just glad I got to meet you for more than two seconds this time and that I got to fight with you for real. I didn't expect to ever see you again, so…" _so I tossed all your previous orders out the window_. Yeah, definitely not what he wanted to say to him right now, but it was true. He hadn't expected him to find out because he didn't believe he'd care enough to even look into the possibility of it being him who stopped Vulture or to check up on Peter at all.

Peter peeked up at him to see Mr. Stark watching him intently, his face unreadable. He almost wished the man had his sunglasses on instead of him actually being able to see his face, because it was better to wonder what he was hiding behind the glasses than what emotions he was hiding behind his dark eyes.

"Peter…" Tony started, unsure what he even wanted to say, how he should respond to that. It pained him to hear exactly what the boy thought of their arrangement, of _him_ , even though he knew he'd done nothing that should have made him think otherwise. Peter was right, on how it looked, and no doubt he actually felt that way. But Tony was here now, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to do something to change it.

Before he could say anything else, though, his phone rang from where he'd dropped it in his lap, and after a moment of deliberation, he decided he had to answer it. He forced his eyes away from the kid across from him - the sweet, broken kid he'd neglected without even realizing it - and answered the call.

Peter knew when he answered their conversation was over, for now. He wasn't sure what to make of Mr. Stark's reaction to his confession, or even the man's behavior since he'd started coming around. It was all so confusing, and it was too much for his still-recovering mind (and body) to handle. He leaned back against the seat and turned to face the window, forcefully tuning out the elder man's conversation and focusing on the nature sights going by. It wasn't very often he got to see such surroundings, living in Queens for most of his life. And it was so quiet, but for the sounds of nature and the occasional humming of car going past them - not full of traffic and bustling people sounds the way New York was. It was actually quite peaceful…

Tony finished the call a few minutes later - he'd tried to be as quick as he could, but one couldn't just ignore calls from government officials too many times, no matter how much he didn't like talking to them. When he turned back to Peter, intent on finishing this conversation and making sure he realized exactly how important he was to him in the suit and out of it, he realized their conversation would have to wait when he caught sight of the kid slumped against the door, unconscious.

He sighed, pocketing his phone and sliding across the seat towards him. Carefully, knowing his senses were still in high alert but not wanting to see him sleep in such an uncomfortable position or risk sliding down and pulling on all the wires attached to him if he were to be jolted at all, he wrapped his arm around his shoulders - keeping his hands on places where his skin was covered by clothes - and gently shifted him so he slumped against his side, his head tucked up under Tony's arm.

The kid shifted a bit on his own, and Tony froze. "Mister Stark?" he croaked, his voice low and groggy. His eyes weren't even open.

Tony brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Right here, kid. Go back to sleep."

"M'kay." Peter shifted enough that he was laying more in Tony's lap than his side, his head resting on his upper thigh and his face mostly hidden by his jacket as he pressed it against his stomach, then settled with a contented sigh and was almost immediately back asleep.

Tony stifled his own sigh and just combed his fingers through the budding hero's curls as he laid in his lap, letting him sleep. Yeah, they'd be having a talk later - likely a long one, because they were just racking up topics he needed to discuss with him - but for right now… this was all that was necessary.

It didn't take long before Tony was asleep too.


	7. Chapter 7

He jolted awake to the sound of the car door opening. 

“Easy, Boss.” It was Happy, standing right outside the door, flanked by Pepper and May. He saw the two women exchange a look from behind Happy, but forced his eyes away, down to the kid still curled into his side and sleeping soundly. Tony sighed, carefully taking his arm off of him and rubbing his eyes as Happy asked, “Are you going to wake him up, or…?”

“Absolutely not. He needs the rest.” Tony shifted his weight out from under the kid, carefully keeping him propped up, and slid his arms around him, lifting him with painstaking caution. He nodded to the bag on the seat. “Grab that, and stay close. The wires aren’t very long.” 

Happy obeyed, frowning a little at the weight of the bag. “Jesus.”

“Yeah, I know.” Tony sighed, lifting him fully to his chest and starting towards the doors. “Pep, would you…” He didn’t even have to finish.

“On it.” She moved around the car with May close behind to deal with everything else still inside. Tony didn’t wait for them, carrying the broken teen inside. 

He went straight up and found the room Pepper and Happy had set up for the kid, laying him down in bed as carefully as he could, so as not to wake him up. He took the bag of machines from Happy and set them as close to him as he dared, then backed out of the room. 

Pepper and May were just exiting the elevator when he stepped back out into the kitchen. “He’s still asleep,” he told them. “But you can take the stuff in and drop it off.” He stopped at the edge of the counter, stretching out the kinks in his back. 

They both nodded, disappearing into the room. A few moments later, Pepper reappeared, walking up and wrapping her arms around him silently. 

Tony relaxed in her grip, the tension of the last few days seeming to melt away now that he had everyone in one safe place. He returned the gesture, pulling her close and allowing himself a brief moment to just slump into her, not saying anything, but feeling the weight of it all, and letting her silently shoulder it with him, as he knew she would. It was so relieving to finally be able to relax again, and not feel like he had to be someone else and bottle it all up for every one around him. Then May walked back out of Peter’s room, and the moment was broken. He straightened up, looking at her. 

“He’s still sleeping,” she assured him, before he could ask. 

Tony nodded. “Peacefully?”

“Seems to be.” She tilted her head. “Has he not been?”

He let out a little breath. “He’s been having nightmares, yeah.”

“It’s only to be expected after what he went through, I guess.” May frowned, obviously concerned but not surprised. 

“That’s what the doctors said too,” Tony said, dryly, but not sarcastically. If she only knew the half of it. He had a feeling that this isn’t the beginning of Peter’s sleep being plagued with night terrors, nor his likely PTSD. May had just been too busy — and not to mention too out of the loop — and he too preoccupied with his own life, and trying to keep the kid at arm’s length, for either of them to know notice the signs until now. 

“Will it pass?” Pepper asked, looking up at him from her place still leaned against his side. 

Tony and May exchanged looks, and they both shook their heads. “There’ll likely be an improvement when his wounds begin to heal, but completely…” May looked at Tony. “Well, I’m no expert on trauma, but…” 

“Therapy may help. But it never goes away completely. At least, it hasn’t for me. Peter may be different, being so young, but… I don’t think anything makes those kinds of memories go away completely,” Tony told them, softly. His own trauma wasn’t something he addressed very often, though most of the people close to him knew he had just about every trauma-based condition possible. He was no stranger to night terrors himself, as Pepper had learned the hard way.

The room went silent for a minute as they all processed that. Pepper was the one who finally broke it, pulling away from Tony and sighing. “Well, May, you know you’re welcome to stay here with Peter as long as you want to,” she told the other woman. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m tired. How about we order some takeout for dinner so we can all relax and get some rest?”

Both of them looked grateful for the suggestion, so she took that as a yes, and left the room to order them food. Which of course left Tony and May in a room together for the first time in months, and alone, to boot.

The silence was awkward, to say the least.

May was the first to break it, as Tony was still too exhausted and unsure where to even start. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “For everything.”

“You shouldn’t thank me for fixing something that is my own fault,” Tony told her wearily. 

May studied him, considering that. “It is, to some extent, your fault,” she agreed, after a long moment. The words hurt, like a sucker punch to the chest, but he tried to push it down. She’s not wrong. But she’s not oblivious, either, and she also wasn’t done. “But I don’t blame you for his kidnapping, Tony, or anything that that man did to him. I do blame you for roping him into your life and then very obviously trying to keep him at arm’s length. You cannot commit to playing such a key role in a child’s life and also try to leave yourself an out for if you decide you’re bored of it or you don’t want to do it anymore. I understand -- believe me, better than anyone, I understand -- but it has taken a toll on him, which is exactly what I was afraid of in the first place. I’m agreeing to let him stay here because I’d like to see you fix it. I know you didn’t mean for this to happen, and that you don't want it to happen again. But better communication -- and better safety precautions -- are the only way that’s going to happen.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” he told her honestly. “I’m going to work on it. I’m going to make sure he heals up as good as new, and I will make sure that nothing like this will ever happen again. Starting with being around a hell of a lot more often. You might even get sick of me.” 

May cracked a small smile. “I certainly hope so. Though it may not be an exaggeration to say I’m already sick of you, if not your presence, exactly.” But she bumped his shoulder gently, a nudge to show him that she’s joking. Mostly. “Now let’s go get something to eat and get some rest. We both have our own forms of work to get back to, and apparently, a makeshift custody agreement to work out before we can get to bed.” 

The idea certainly made the promise to be around and to spend more time with Peter a lot more real, but he didn’t allow himself to panic, and he certainly won’t be taking it back. “I think that sounds like a good idea.”


End file.
